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Thursday, 3 April 2014

Saudi Arabia declares all atheists are terrorists in new law to crack down on political dissidents

Saudi Arabia has introduced a series of new laws which define
atheists as terrorists, according to a report from Human Rights Watch.

In a string of royal decrees and an overarching new piece of
legislation to deal with terrorism generally, the Saudi King Abdullah
has clamped down on all forms of political dissent and protests that
could "harm public order".

The new laws have largely been brought
in to combat the growing number of Saudis travelling to take part in the
civil war in Syria, who have previously returned with newfound training
and ideas about overthrowing the monarchy.

To that end, King
Abdullah issued Royal Decree 44, which criminalises "participating in
hostilities outside the kingdom" with prison sentences of between three
and 20 years, Human Rights Watch said.

Yet last month further
regulations were issued by the Saudi interior ministry, identifying a
broad list of groups which the government considers to be terrorist
organisations - including the Muslim Brotherhood.

Article one of
the new provisions defines terrorism as "calling for atheist thought in
any form, or calling into question the fundamentals of the Islamic
religion on which this country is based".

Joe Stork, deputy Middle
East and North Africa director of Human Rights Watch, said: "Saudi
authorities have never tolerated criticism of their policies, but these
recent laws and regulations turn almost any critical expression or
independent association into crimes of terrorism.

"These
regulations dash any hope that King Abdullah intends to open a space for
peaceful dissent or independent groups," Mr Stork said.

Human
Rights Watch said the new regulations were also a setback to campaigns
for the protection and release of a number of prominent human rights
activists currently jailed in Saudi Arabia. It said Waleed Abu
al-Khair and Mikhlif al-Shammari recently lost appeals and will soon
begin three-month and five-year respective sentences for criticizing
Saudi authorities.

The organisation said the new "terrorism"
provisions contain language that prosecutors and judges are already
using to prosecute and convict independent activists and peaceful
dissidents.

Information Clearing House

Alison Weir / If Americans Knew...

The Corbett Report

Centre for Research on Globalisation

Signs of the Times

Photojournalism:

BOYCOTT ISRAEL

BREAK THE GATEKEEPERS

ARE YOU A CITIZEN OR A SUBJECT?

The inability to grasp the pathology of our oligarchic rulers is one of our gravest faults. We have been blinded to the depravity of our ruling elite by the relentless propaganda of public relations firms that work on behalf of corporations and the rich.

We need to remember that, psychopaths and other personality disordered individuals really have no choice but to be what they are; they are like forces of nature. But normal human beings DO have a choice as to whether they will accept abuse or not. By accepting abuse, they give power to the psychopaths to abuse others so it is not just a matter of self-preservation; it is a matter of making sure that our children have a future. It seems that, in a world where the people cannot or will not, rise up against psychopathy in power, the Cosmos will do it for them, and take them out as well for their silence and their weakness. The bottom line is, nobody and no event is going to “save” anyone. It is only human beings, individually and collectively, who have the power to BE salvation.” – Laura Knight-Jadczyk

Plans for control of the evil forces that have been loosed in the world, attempts to compensate the evil- doing by good works or sympathy for the victims, efforts to safeguard the peace or to effect ideal solutions of all the material problems involved, can do little to change the nature of the situation. The real problem, namely, the question of what can be done for civilization in face of the nonhuman forces arising from the collective unconscious in thousands or rather millions of individual persons, will remain untouched. However, if only one human being has met and solved the problem in himself, he will be a living demonstration of a solution. Such an individual carries with him the germ of a renaissance of the spiritual values of mankind.

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